Six public and private Colombian companies have joined forces to launch the Colombia Blockchain Association, Spanish news agency EFE reported May 17. The Association describes itself as aiming to support the country’s crypto and blockchain ecosystems and to advise the national government on matters concerning regulation of the crypto sphere.
The companies involved are Buda Colombia, Bitcoin Colombia, Cajero.co, IntiColombia, Panda Group and RSK. Representatives from each, as well as Mauricio Tovar – co-director of inTIColombia, a research group of the National University of Colombia – reportedly attended an event this Wednesday in Bogota to discuss the agenda of the new organization.
As Diario Bitcoin reports, Tovar spoke out at the event against an “abusive” traditional financial sector that encumbers Colombians with unnecessary costs. Citizens “distrust” the current system, he suggested. He said the new association should act as an interlocutor to the state in order to encourage the “informed” adoption of new financial technologies, without compromising the decentralized principles of blockchain, as well as to prevent stifling overregulation.
Buda CEO Alejandro Beltrán contributed his perspective on the potential future of crypto across Latin America, noting that there are estimated to be over 200 mln unbanked citizens in the continent who could be served by a crypto economy. He also noted how complicated it currently is for migrants to send remittances back to their countries of origin using fiat money.
Beyond financial applications, event participants reportedly discussed the use of blockchain in other fields, including information security, intellectual property, the energy sector, electoral systems and real estate registers.
Last year, the UN’s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) released a report stating that blockchain technology could help address problems facing the ailing banking sector across the continent. Countries in the region with underbanked populations, such as Venezuela, have been encouraging their citizens to educate themselves about crypto. Under pressure from international sanctions, Venezuela launched an oil-backed national cryptocurrency, the Petro, earlier this year.